Blog #7

List 4 areas from the rubric that provide you with the greatest learning opportunity. Feel free to include areas that confuse or confound you. Spend a few sentences elaborating on each choice.

Watch out for dislocated “hit-and-run” quotes”

This area is something that I particularly have to watch out for. I tend to sometimes embed my quote without directly explaining how it relates to my argument. I know why I included it in my head, but sometimes I fail to transfer the reasoning to paper. It is difficult to watch out for this because a lot of the time when I read over it I still have that understanding with me. This is where peer reading with a specific question in mind is helpful.

Does each paragraph lead naturally one to the other?

When I write my introduction paragraph and my thesis, I am conditioned from high school to structure my paragraphs based off of the points that I hit in my thesis. While sometimes this leads to a well structured essay, it can also be restricting. I struggle with re-formatting how I use paragraphs because I hold onto my original intention.

Are your paragraphs a reasonable length?

Again, this relates to my above point about pre-determining the structure of my paragraphs before I have finished my first draft. I oftentimes find myself with lengthy paragraphs that hit on more than one point because I feel that all the information fits within that one point I was trying to make about my thesis. Letting go of that structure and breaking up my paragraphs is sometimes a challenge for me.

Does your conclusion– while rooted in your paper’s main themes– also introduce new directions for thought?

When writing a conclusion, it is natural to want to nicely wrap up your readers experience with some definitive thinking. Coming up with ways to keep them thinking about your topic, while still wrapping up your argument can be challenging. I need to look for ways to still close up my essay while leaving the reader with connections to my argument on a broader scope.